In Hartford, there’s a literary group working to bring people together in discussion and understanding through books by and about people of color.

The program is called Hartford Reads In Color.

It’s a program made possible by a partnership between Hartford’s L.I.T. and the Hartford Public Library.

Nzima Hutchings is the founder of Hartford’s L.I.T. The L.I.T. stands for Literary Integrated Trailblazers. Her work is all about amplifying the diversity of the greater Hartford area, from its artists and its small business owners to its authors.

"Building community through the love of words, story, culture, and awareness of the different voices,” said Hutchings.

The monthly book club brings together residents from the city and beyond to read and discuss a title by an author of color.

“We're connecting through words, folks are reading books that are a books of authors they never read or heard of before,” Hutchings said.

Since their start, the virtual book chats have covered Audre Lorde, Sonia Sanchez, Phyllis Wheatley, and more.

For Hutchings, the program came partly from what she says is a lack of attention and importance placed on stories of color. She wanted to create a place for people to come together around a wider range of content. She wants others to know minority authors exist in those spaces too.

“We are here writing murder mysteries. We aren't here writing books -- dystopian books, we are here writing poetry books.”

Hartford Public Library is the fiscal sponsor of Hartford Reads in Color.

Programming manager Keren Prescott says in the aftermath of the summer of 2020, there was a need to lift up stories of positivity in communities of color and not just those of struggle.

“Post George Floyd, many communities were looking for ways where they can not look at just the trauma of marginalized communities, but how can we celebrate the joys, the gains, our strengths, our stories,” Prescott said.

Click here for more info about Hartford Reads In Color.